Boodang

Me!! Well, that's not quite true... given the choice I'd probably play acoustic but I have to say there are advantages to electronic besides the volume. Having a choice of sounds is quite liberating and being able to add percussion at a flick of a switch even better.

Drummers do have a volume control if it's an electronic kit!

As an update on this I messaged hotwire basses to ask about options and they said yes, they could do it as a set neck or through neck. Not a fan of bolt on construction (it's too bulky when you're up the dusty end for me) so looks like I could fulfill a dream of having a set neck jazz bass, but not sure at what price as I haven't asked that question yet.

Was in a jazz trio for a while, the drummer had such a light touch volume was never a problem even in the smallest of venues. I play drums occasionally but I'm a bit heavy handed and love rim shots so volume is an issue, consequently I bought an electronic kit. Not quite the same but actually really enjoyable and volume is controllable. Any chance of your drummer going electronic?! That would break the guitar/drums volume cycle and your audience would thank you.

Can't help tinkering! Every bass I've had I've enjoyed the ensuing conversation with the custom pickup guy, describing what I want for my latest bass. Has worked out recently tho, changed everything on my Squier jazz fretless (the only thing original now is the wood) and not only is it a keeper but I literally couldn't be happier. Maybe in the end you get there and all the tinkering is worth it.

Back in the 80s, 90s & early 00s, I was either at ludicrously loud gigs or playing in a band and creating ludicrously loud gigs. Then, mid 00s work decided to do baseline hearing tests as we were using headphones regularly. At the test, went into the booth, after the 1st set of tests there was a long pause. At the end I asked what the pause was about and was told that the test result sheets only went down to -50dB and my hearing was in the -70 to 72dB range (just above referral for a hearing aid apparently), so they had to add a couple of lines to the bottom of the test sheets. My hearing hasn't got better in the intervening years but what has changed is my physical tolerance for loud volumes and now it just hurts. Moral of the story, get IEMs and buy the drummer an electronic kit.

I guess that's why I haven't taken the plunge and bought a ric yet. I mean, I like the neck and the way it plays but I just know I'd end up changing the bridge, the electronics, the pickups and all the hardware to get it how I wanted it!

Have to say I'm a big fan of running pedals in parallel. I use a Seamoon funk machine and SGFX supa funk together to make it a 'supa funk'.

Is it worth getting the hipshot replacement bridge and ditching the neck pickup surrounding hardware?

Does the ric perform any better in the sack?!

The one getting saved would be the Seamoon Funk Machine.... super funky in envelope mode (obviously!) but if you roll off the depth control it has a great bass boost sound which, strangely as it's just supposed to be in dub mode at this point, adds presence as well. Consequently it's an always on pedal. Oh, and the pedal looks fantastic!

Quick note on tilt eq's; the Aguilar octamizer uses one and it has more or less become my main means of controlling my overall tone. When I kick in my compressor it can be a bit too forceful in the bass frequencies for some situations but I like the overall tone, so the tilt just redresses the balance nicely. Conversely when I kick in my phaser it can get a bit treble heavy but with a little bit of tilt it's sorted. Simple but effective.

Apparently the compressor is based on the Diamond pedal, so if it sounds as good as that you're on to a winner. On the Diamond comp, the EQ knob controls a tilt eq (they don't specify the tilt frequency point), so you tilt the overall tonal balance more to the bass frequencies or more to the treble side, 12 o'clock being neutral. The compressor you have is the same as their 'pressure tank' pedal and they describe the eq knob on that as a tone control. From what you're describing it does sound like it's acting as a tilt eq.

Oh, and if you're fed up with your speakers and want an excuse to replace them, get this, plug it in and blow them up! Seriously good pedal though.

Both awesome and both now permanently on my pedalboard.

The head agrees with you but unfortunately the heart... that's going 'look at the roasted, bound neck, the pearloid scratch and the gold vintage finish blah blah blah buy buy buy!'.

Standard price starts at £1800, which is not silly money but.... starts is the appropriate word though and this is far from standard!

I think I've found my new GaS! Heat treated roasted maple bound neck, vintage finish and great sound. Now, where's that piggy bank.

A slight digression but an interesting anecdote; in an interview with Svensson, he mentions a moment when EST were playing a gig and at the a venue nearby, James Last was playing. JL turned up with umpteen lorries worth of gear and sold out for weeks, they turned up in a transit van hoping to half fill a venue. He thought EST was worthy of umpteen lorries and being sold out and vowed to make them more popular as a result. Tuesday Wonderland was the start of that venture.

EST... what an amazing trio. Such a shame Svensson died when he did (always a shame when someone dies at such an early age). Tuesday Wonderland is a must listen album.

... were you on incubation duty?!

At the risk of breaching copyright (if Chicago press are reading I promise not to post any more pages) and as a taster, this is chapter 1, page 1. There's 215 more pages of exercises.

Glad you found it interesting. It was something I came across by accident but as I like the Gogo Penguin's it sort of became an obsession of sorts. By the sound of the lineup in your group the concept could be right up their street! The book is interesting and you get straight into composing exercises... it's a bit of a commitment though, and I've not finished it all yet as I reckon for the novice aspiring composer there's a few years worth of work, but it is rewarding.

In fairness I don't think Russo ever used the term 'micro-composition' it's just something that's been coined to encompass the notion of small 'cells' in compositions. It was just his approach to teaching the subject. I'm probably more guilty of using the phrase than most!

You're not wrong! But as it says on the book cover, the philosophy behind this approach is for musicians with no formal training but who want to aspire to composing. As Russo was the director of the contemporary American music program at Columbia College, Chicago he knew something about the subject!